


i’m not looking back

by dame_de_la_chance



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Conspiracy Theories, Gen, Government Conspiracy, Shadow And Sonic Are Friends, Sonic Generations, fucking around with lore and chaos energy uwu, origin story wise I am a fan of the idea that, references games up to sonic gen, sonic is CRYPTID and he’s been haunting Christmas Island for god knows how long, sonic is a cryptid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:55:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22767343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dame_de_la_chance/pseuds/dame_de_la_chance
Summary: Shadow asks the age old question: why is Classic Sonic mute but Modern Sonic can speak freely and clearly all the time?Turns out the answer is a lot more complicated than anyone could have expected.
Comments: 51
Kudos: 247





	i’m not looking back

**Author's Note:**

> TIMELINE WISE- THE YEAR IS 2003. ITS BEEN A WHILE SINCE THE EVENTS OF SA2/SONIC HEROES. SONIC GENERATIONS JUST OCCURRED
> 
> i like to imagine all the sonic games occur in the early 2000’s lol

Shadow quietly picks at his piece of cake, pushing the thick white frosting off the top layer. He was never very fond of sweet things- that was always Maria’s indulgence, not him. He likes dark chocolate from time to time, but sugary things overloaded him in a way he didn’t quite like. But it would have been rude to reject the offer.

He stood next to the snack table, watching the others mingle amongst themselves. He felt a tad out of place, but no more than usual in social congregations. He wasn’t much for parties, but this was different than GUN charity balls or Rouge’s club parties.

It was Sonic’s birthday, and while they had began as enemies, they ended as semi-friend-rivals. He wouldn’t skip out on this party, not now. And especially not after the strange time eater he just watched Sonic fight. If there’s any more bullshit that shows up to crash the party, well, he’ll make sure to stop it from ruining the fun. 

(After all, whatever the fuck just happened isn’t something Shadow wants to repeat. Sonic deserves to have a good time, a day of relaxation, and all the cosmic powers at work seemed against that idea.) 

Sonic himself was busy at the moment, telling a grand story to a group of friends, exaggerating his facial features and gestures as he spoke of a tale about an adventure Shadow had never heard of. Shadow wasn’t very familiar with any of Sonic’s friends, and the ones he was familiar with were either enraptured by the story or mingling amongst each other. That was fine. 

As long as Sonic and his friends were having a good time, then he wouldn’t interrupt them. Besides, socialization wasn’t his thing, and he doubted any conversation he tried to strike up would be at all interesting. He wasn’t good at small talk.

There was some rustling next to him, and he glanced to his right. A tiny blue hedgehog was standing on his tip toes, trying to reach a plate filled with cake on the concessions table. Shadow blinked, momentarily forgetting that Classic Sonic and Tails (dubbed so to as not confuse them with their older peers) were still shuffling about. 

“You need help?”

Classic Sonic huffed before lowering himself. He glanced up at Shadow, almost sizing him up, before nodding. Shadow slide the cake to the very edge of the table, and Sonic happily snatched it away.

Classic Sonic stayed right next to Shadow, nodding his gratitude, before digging into the piece. Seemed Sonic’s always had a bit of a sweet tooth.

Shadow hates to admit any interest in his pseudo rival, but he will relent to the fact that the smaller version of him does pique some interest. He appears so much different than his counterpart. Tails is also different, but not really- just a bit more babyish than usual. But Sonic just seems so different, acts so different, and Shadow isn’t sure what to make of it.

For one, Classic Sonic can not speak. That in of itself is a huge and unnerving difference. Shadow knows he physically can not speak, that it isn’t a choice, because Classic Tails accidentally let it slip a while back. Sonic isn’t shy by any means, that’s not the reason he doesn’t speak. He just can’t.

So maybe Shadow watches the kid a bit too keenly, watching him with a strange intensity. Why can’t he speak?

That’s when he notices it- there’s marks all along his neck, nearly hidden by his fur. They’re old scars, but Shadow knows how deep those wounds seem to run, and he can easily spy that they’re right near the voice box. Hm.

Classic Sonic seems to feel him staring, and Shadow glances away just as he rubs his neck, an idle tick. It’s a small observation, but it does leave a couple of questions in Shadow’s mind.

-

Later, when Classic Sonic and Tails have gone home, and the party’s nearly over, Sonic comes over to chat with Shadow. Honestly, Shadow should’ve gone home sooner, but he stuck around in case any more attacks were made. Considering Sonic’s quite the magnet for trouble, it was a fair decision.

“Heya, Shadz,” he greets, playfully punching his shoulder. “Thanks for coming!”

“My pleasure.” Although it’s spoken with sarcasm, Shadow does genuinely mean the words. But banter is much easier to do then confess his appreciation for their friendship. 

Besides, he has other things on his mind. Shadow takes the time to glance at his neck, trying to find those small scars he saw on Classic. “I presume you’ve enjoyed your day?”

“Yeah! One of the best birthdays I’ve had.” Sonic hums, rapping his chin. “Well, if we disregard the whole time eater thing. Otherwise, it was great.”

“That was a bit strange, hm?”

“Yeah, especially seeing kid-me and Tails!” Sonic laughed. “I forgot how small I was.”

He doesn’t see any of the scars. Strange. Shadow takes this opportunity to begin a conversation he’s been wanting to start. “Speaking of your classic self, I do have a question that I hope you won’t misinterpret as rude.”

“Shoot!”

“It seems your classic self is mute. Why?”

Sonic frowned. He glanced away at Shadow, his eyes drifting towards his lingering friends. It was only Amy, Knuckles, Tails, and Silver now, idly cleaning up the remaniants of the party. It’s late now, in the sense that the stars above watched over them and the moon was peeking out from behind a few clouds. “It’s kind of... personal.”

“How so?”

“Just is.” Sonic’s smile is a bit too forceful. He tries to derail the conversation, his eyes jumping to the remains of a well demolished birthday cake. “Man, that cake was so good! Vanilla and Cream always deliver on the baked goods. Did you know that Vector’s taking lessons from them? He made the brownies!”

“Sonic.”

He didn’t have to say anything else. Sonic deflated, then sighed. “Okay, okay.”

“What happened to your voice? Younger you had a lot of scarring around his neck. Does that have to do with loosing his voice?”

Sonic tilted his head. “Scarring? You noticed?”

“Yes. It’s small, but it was there.”

“You’re the only one who noticed.” He’s not sure how to take that, but Sonic doesn’t give him a chance to stew on it. His rival leans an arm on his shoulder and crosses his legs. “Alright, I’ll tell you what’s up, but don’t tell anyone else, okay? Tails already knows, of course, but it’s just kind of embarrassing, I guess.”

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

“So like, when I was super young, like before I met Tails, I had still been fighting Eggman, you know? We’ve been like, mortal enemies for so long. But it was my first time fighting him, and obviously I wasn’t as amazing as I am now, so I made a lot of mistakes. Eggman was also a lot more bloodthirsty back then, though I wouldn’t really say he’s mellowed with age by any means.

“Anyway, so like, I’m fighting one of his killer robots, and I accidentally let my guard down, and that bastard takes advantage, and like, claws the shit out of me. It hurt like hell, but I managed to power through it, and I kicked it’s ass. But it managed to fuck up my vocal cords, and I had to go to a nearby village to get all healed.”

Sonic frowned, shrugging. “Course, my vocal cords were fucked. I healed fine after that, but I couldn’t talk.”

“So why can you talk now?”

“My voice box fixed itself.” Sonic shrugged again. “Took a few years, after I met Tails and Knuckles and even Amy, but it eventually healed itself.”

Shadow blinked. He wasn’t a complete expert on anatomy, but he did study under Gerald Robotnik to strengthen not only his brawn but also his mind, and he’s certain that’s not how that works. “Sonic, that doesn’t make sense.”

“Eh.” Sonic waved his hands. “I don’t know the details, ‘cause I’m no doc, but like, maybe it was from all the Chaos energy in me. You know, because of natural Chaos healing and stuff? That’s probably what helped me get my voice back.”

Shadow wants to object, and certainly wants to talk about this issue more, but then Tails happens to jog over to them, and Sonic shuts down. If Shadow wants more information over Chaos healing, Sonic’s not the person to talk to. But who is?

-

Shadows not sure why he’s digging so deep into this. It’s doesn’t even matter, not in the long run. But there’s just something strange in the idea that Sonic’s voice box, after years of not working, suddenly began to heal itself to the point where it became fully functional. 

So Shadow pushes, probabaly more so than he needs to.

He Chaos Controls to Angel Island. If there’s anybody who knows about Chaos Energy, it has to be the guardian of the Master Emerald.

Knuckles doesn’t even appear to be all that surprised when Shadow stalks up the stairs to the shrine. He simply watches Shadow from his position, leaning against the emerald as he blearily opens his eyes from a small nap. Shadow sits next to him, and they sit in silence for a few moments.

Shadow likes Knuckles. He’s straightforward, honest, and says what he’s thinking. There’s not many layers to him, which isn’t a bad thing. He just says what he means, and he doesn’t hide who is. He’s blunt and hardheaded and stubborn, but well meaning and genuinely caring.

“What brings the great ultimate life form here to my humble abode?” Knuckles questions, sarcasm dripping his every syllable. It’s not out of malice, though; it’s playful in tone.

“I need your knowledge.”

Knuckles raises a brow. “Oh?”

“I need you to explain Chaos healing to me.”

“It’s kind of... complex.” Knuckles paused, and it comes to Shadow’s attention that this is probably the first time he’s had to explain this, after living secluded on an island for his entire life. Sure, he probably spoke to Tails about this, but Shadow reluncantly had come to realise and admit that he is no where near as genius as Tails. He’s smart himself, but Tails could understand everything in a snap.

“So, everyone has Chaos energy inside them. It’s the life force within, giving us consciousness and the ability to heal and all that stuff, you know? So every living creature has Chaos energy inside of them, but the amount fluctuates. Mobians tend to have more energy than humans do. That’s why we heal a lot faster and why we don’t injure as much as them; we have more Chaos energy than them.

“But the amount of energy in Mobians is still pretty small. Most people have a decent amount, some have a lot, and others don’t have much. This flux in amounts cause people to heal differently- the amount of Chaos within in a person matters in how they heal. A person with little energy probabaly won’t survive a gunshot to the head, but a person with a lot of energy will. That’s because Chaos energy only heals as much as it has. Chaos only fixes more Chaos- nothing more, nothing less.

“People’s ability to heal depends on the amount of Chaos energy in them. For instance, I have a bit more energy than most because of my exposure to the Master Emerald. So I heal a lot faster than others, and I can survive more. Like, a stab wound to the gut would affect me a lot less then say, Espio.”

“I understand.” Shadow does. It’s a bit strange, but he’s been briefed on the concept of Chaos healing before, on the ARK. “Sonic told me that his voice box had been damaged when he was younger, but then miraculously began to fix itself completely to the point where he could speak after years of being unable to. So my question is this: could Sonic have Chaos healed his voice box into perfectly functioning again?”

Knuckles glances at Shadow, a sharp look in his eyes. “Let’s put it this way. Someone decided to chop off all your limbs. Normal people would die. You have enough Chaos energy in your body to be able to literally grow back all four of your limbs. Not including your healing factor from your alien blood and stuff. That’s how much Chaos energy in you.”

His eyes shifted from Shadow to the Master Emerald. “Sonic? Imagine if Sonic was absolutely incinerated. Imagine if the only thing left of him was ash. He has enough Chaos energy in him for his body to completely grow back. His atoms are like magnets- no matter how far apart they are, that Chaos energy in him is going to scream and try their damndest to create something whole again.”

Shadow blinks. How the hell does he process that? “What?”

“To answer your question, yes, Sonic’s voice box could have healed on its own enough to be able to function again.”

“That amount of Chaos energy is impossible! Too much exposure and people die! How the hell isn’t Sonic dead?!”

“That’s complicated.” He shrugs. “I’m not sure. My personal favourite theory is that he’s a vampire.”

“Knuckles-“

The echidna waved him off. “I think his Chaos energy acts as a sort of sponge- it allows him to absorb so much. When we first met, Sonic had already had quite a bit of Chaos energy in him, but not enough to heal the previously damaged voice box. But he interacts with the Chaos emeralds so much, and his Chaos energy is already so porous, that he just keeps absorbing Chaos energy every time he comes in contact with those emeralds. He didn’t start out with all that energy- that’s why his body changed so much.” Knuckles hums. “You met Classic Sonic. He looks almost nothing like our Sonic.”

“So your saying Sonic looks the way he does because of the storage of ever increasing Chaos energy in him?”

“Exactly.”

Shadow remains quiet, absorbing the information. “So he could just... keep absorbing the energy? Is there any point where he’ll stop?” Shadow always knew Sonic had a way above average amount of energy in him- it’s the only reason he was able to manipulate that fake chaos emerald. 

“I have no idea. It seems as if Sonic was made to just.... keep absorbing energy, like there’s no limit. It’s like he’s able to constantly adapt to any added amounts of energy. I don’t know if there’s a point where it’ll stop.”

Shadow doesn’t know what to say to this new information. They lapse into a new silence, and they listen to the vibrant life of the island.

“Thank you,” Shadow finally says. Knuckles simply nods before closing his eyes again. Shadow takes this as a cue to leave.

-

Shadow got the answers he was looking for. It should have just stopped there. He knew why Classic Sonic couldn't speak but Modern Sonic could. He should have been satisfied.

He wasn’t.

There was an itch he just couldn’t scratch about this entire ordeal. Something lurked beneath the explanation, and Shadow wanted to find what laid under the surface. He didn’t know why he felt this way, but he knew there was more he simply wasn’t seeing.

What was he missing?

-

He was fiddling around at the GUN headquarters, filing paper work from a previous undercover mission when he stumbles across something. He’s not great at this part, uploading his work to the GUN database. After being in basically a coma for fifty odd years, the technological advancements have been swift and Shadow’s having a hard time keeping up.

Rouge finishes before him, of course, and decides to go pester their superior. She’s long ago given up offering her help to him, since she knows he won’t take it.

Shadow finishes the report, finally, and decides to fiddle around. He has nothing to do, and with a database chock full of information at his disposal, Shadow decides to utilise it for the first time. 

He’s not even sure how he finds it, really, because he wasn’t necessarily even looking for it.

There’s a GUN file for Sonic. Of course there is. The hedgehog is a potential level ten threat if he suddenly decides heroing isn’t as rewarding as villainy. Any and all potential threats are catalogued in the database, and Sonic easily fits the description given his power and his blatant disregard and disdain towards law enforcement.

Shadow clicks on it, of course. Maybe GUN knows some things he doesn’t.

Most of it is blacked out, which isn’t surprising. Shadow’s level of clearance is only so high, and given his close relationship to Sonic, it makes sense that he isn’t allowed to view much of it.

Still, the information he does have access to makes Shadow reread the lines three times before he’s convinced it’s real.

First known report? Shadow reads the date twice, blinks, then reads it again. 1963, observed to be playing in the fields near a small village on Christmas Island. A man named Karl called GUN in hopes of riding the island of the nuisance. GUN did not respond.

Shadow steps away from the computer. That can’t be right. That doesn’t make any fucking sense. 1963?

He keeps reading.

Next known sighting, confirmed- Green Hill Zone, 1991. He was seen battling Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Dr. “Eggman”) for the first time. Unknown if there have been spats between them before this first event. First public emergence of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Shadow skims through the report, feeling as if he’s loosing his mind. Sonic has been fighting Eggman for over ten years, minimum. That’s not possible- Sonic’s fifteen. Or sixteen? Wait, how old was Sonic even turning at his birthday party?

Shadow rubs his eyes, feeling a migraine forming. This is impossible. Sonic and Eggman couldn’t have possible been fighting for that long. And Sonic couldn’t have been seen in 1963. No, no way.

Shadow stares at the screen. Well, there’s only one way to find out the truth. He’ll have to talk to Eggman himself to confirm this.

-

Eggman’s base isn’t particularly well hidden, but that was the point. Eggman loved to flaunt the idea that he was untouchable, and no sane person would attack the base. It was full of various traps and security measures. Besides, it’s always a guess if Eggman is even present. 

Shadow Chaos Controls inside with ease. Slipping past Eggman’s defenses isn’t exactly hard when one is an alien with supernatural powers. Still, alarms begin to go off as soon as he appears, but no matter. He’s already inside.

Eggman doesn’t even bother turning around when Shadow enters his laboratory. He’s still drawing out blueprints, ignoring the newcomer.

“Shadow the Hedgehog, hm?” Eggman finally mutters. In the distance, Orbot and Cubot could be heard furiously yelling at each other over how to defend the base. “What brings you here?”

“I have questions.”

Eggman glances up at him, and his glasses reflect the light in a strange and eerie way. He leans against his workbench, appearing almost curious. “And why should I answer them?”

“Entertain a guest.”

A smirk. “Oh, yes, forgive me for not wanting to play pleasantries with the person currently breaking into my home.”

“How long have you and Sonic been fighting?”

That seems to catch him off guard. Eggman’s smile drips off his face, and something unreadable takes its place. “Well, you’re the first person to ever ask that. What’s brought this on?”

“Answer my question.”

“Answer mine.”

“I’m just curious.”

“Curiosity killed the cat,” Eggman taunted, but smiled strangely. “But so does standing by idly. If you want a rough estimate, I’d say close to twenty years.”

Shadow tries not to let the surprise show, but the number does catch him off guard. “Twenty years?”

“We first encountered each other on Christmas Island, eighteen years ago. It’s a small little island, with very little inhabitants. I figured it was the perfect place to test out some of my weapons and steal some woodland creatures. Sonic... drove me out. We’ve been fighting ever since.”

That’s six years before the GUN record. Shadow’s beginning to feel queasy. “That’s impossible. Sonic’s fifteen.”

“Is he?” Eggman hummed. “He probably thinks he is, in all honestly.”

“What?”

“Sonic isn’t exactly the most aware about the concept of time. With his either de-accelerated ageing or immortality, he doesn’t seem to even be aware of time.”

“Immortality?”

“Well, you’ve seen how hard it is to kill him.” Eggman shrugs. “I’m still unsure over the details, but Sonic certainly isn’t a normal Mobian. Frankly, I’m not sure as to if he’s even Mobian.”

“What... do you know where he comes from? What he is?”

“I have my suspicions.” Eggman stares down at Shadow. “But I will not share them. He’s definitely not from Christmas Island.”

Shadow isn’t even sure what to say to this. This is insane. Eighteen years. Sonic’s supposed to be fifteen. This can’t work at all. 

“Did you know Christmas Island sank fifteen years ago?” Eggman suddenly begins. 

“Did it?”

“Yes. I don’t want to make speculations, but it’s interesting because around that time, Sonic had left the area to come after me. I don’t think Sonic knows this, though. He does frequently mention going back. Tell him for me, hm?”

“Eggman, what are you implying?”

“Your questions are up. I’m bored of answering them.” Eggman eyes are trained on him. “Have fun exploring this little mystery.”

Shadow opens his mouth, but Eggman turns his back, busying himself with blueprints and schematics of future opponents. Shadow knows he won’t get any answers out of the man. There’s no point in wasting time here.

-

“How old is Sonic?” Tails blinked, scratching his head with the hand not holding a wrench.

Shadow was leaning against the doorway of Tails‘s garage, watching as the fox patched up the Tornado. The fox sort of watched Shadow wearily before shaking his head.

“Why, he’s fifteen? What’s it matter to you, anyway?”

“Tails, he was fifteen when he met me.”

Tails hummed. “Yes?”

“That was nearly two years ago. If he was fifteen then, he should be turning seventeen now, at least.”

“I....” Tails remains quiet. He was eight the first time they had met, Shadow was fairly sure. Now, the fox was nearing ten. Everyone was growing older. “Huh.”

“How old did Sonic say he was turning?”

“He didn’t say.” Tails set the wrench down. 

“How long has he been saying he was fifteen?”

The fox remains quiet.

“Tails.”

He seems almost lost in thought. He’s staring absently at the Tornado, and Shadow can’t help but wonder what’s on his mind. “I’ve known him since I was four.”

Shadow remains silent as Tails begins to work this out.

“I... I always thought he had been like, twelve or thirteen at the time, because he was smaller and stuff, but now that I think about it, he told me his age when I turned six.” Tails glanced at Shadow, his eyes weary. “He said he was fifteen then. It matched the timeline I had made for him but now...”

“He should be nineteen then.”

“Yeah, I...” Tails ran his fingers over the plane. “I never thought about this before.”

Shadow nodded, and began to move away from the doorway. 

“Are you leaving? Shadow, I...”

“I’ll be back.”

-

“Sonic?” Amy hummed, watching as Cream decorated the cake Shadow had watched her pull out of the oven. Vanilla set her cup of tea down, a strange frown on her lips.

“Young Sonic, he’s seventeen, isn’t he?”

“No, he’s fifteen!” Cream cheered. 

Amy frowned. “That can’t be right, though. He should be seventeen, I think.”

“No, he’s fifteen.” Cream stops frosting and glances at the others. “I asked him when I was at his party. He said he was fifteen.”

“But he didn’t turn fifteen?” Amy frowned. “I’m fourteen, there’s no way he’s fifteen.”

Vanilla hummed. “I’ve known him for a few years, and it seems he’s been fifteen this entire time.”

Shadow glances at Amy. “How old were you when you first met him?”

“I was about eight.”

“Did he ever tell you his age then?”

“No, but I thought he was maybe twelve? He was a lot smaller back then.”

“When did he first tell you he was fifteen?”

Amy hesitates. “When I was ten?”

“He’s been fifteen for four years?”

Vanilla shakes her head. “Well, he certainly acts like a fifteen year old.”

“So he should be nineteen?” Amy rubs her head. “No, this isn’t.... I can’t....”

Shadow hums. “I’ll be back.”

-

“Blue boy?” Rouge glances away from the Master Emerald, and that clearly means her interest has been piqued.

Knuckles frowns. “I don’t know. He just had his birthday, so like, sixteen?”

“How old were you when you met him?”

“I think I was twelve.”

“When did he tell you his age?”

“I didn’t find out until.... two years ago?”

“How old did he say he was?”

“Fifteen.”

Rouge frowns. “Wait, I’ve known him for three years, and he said he was fifteen back then, too?”

Shadow rubs his head. “So he’s been fifteen for three years?”

“He’s supposed to be younger than me?” Knuckles frowns. “He can’t be eighteen if I’m eighteen.”

“I’ll be back.”

-

“He’s like, fifteen?” Silver slurps his slurpee, frowning. Blaze seems confused.

“That can’t be right...? He said he was fifteen three years ago, when I first met him.”

“What?” Silver frowned. “But like, he said he was fifteen...” Silver’s eyes grow wide. “Oh, that was two years ago.”

“So you think he’s eighteen?”

“I guess? We’re both sixteen, isn’t he supposed to be older than us?”

“How many candles were on his cake?”

“I need to leave.”

-

So nobody knows how old Sonic is. If this was a different situation, Shadow would be laughing his ass off at the idea that none of Sonic’s long time friends know how old he is. But instead, he’s solemn.

Sonic hasn’t aged at all in comparison to his peers. Silver’s taller than him, Tails is reaching his height, and Knuckles looks like an adult despite the supposed one year difference. Sonic looks exactly as Shadow remembers him the first time they met, in the streets of Station Square. He acts the same, looks the same, and is the same, if he’s honest with himself.

Sonic should be about nineteen, but none of the timelines of his age match up to anyone. Shadow rubs his eyes.

Time to talk to Sonic himself.

-

Hunting down the fastest thing alive (Shadow rolls his eyes at the title) isn’t actually that hard. Tails had given him a hint as to where he might be, and it turned out to be right.

In a long forgotten valley lays a beautiful, crystal pond. Flowers of various colors bloom alongside the pool, creating a picturesque scene before him. And sitting in the middle of the field was Sonic himself.

Sonic glanced up at the crunching of grass. Flowers were sprawled across his lap, and Shadow could identity the beginnings of a flower crown.

“Shadow!” Sonic’s eyes brighten at the sight. Shadow quietly sits next to him, taking care to not sit on any delicate flowers. “Hey, man. What’s up?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Me?” Sonic waves a flower absently. “Well, Cream’s been teaching me how to make flower crowns, and I thought I’d make her one with some of these flowers. I spotted this place a while back on one of my runs, and I figured out of anyone I know, Cream would love these flowers.”

Shadow nodded, staring at the two of their reflections in the water. He could see Sonic’s attention focused on him. “So what are you doing here?”

“There’s been a question in my mind.”

“Oh?”

“How old are you?”

“Fifteen.” No hesitation, nothing but fluid. Shadow doesn’t know what to make of it. He doesn’t even sound like he’s lying.

“Really?”

“Yes?”

A new questions pops into Shadow’s head.“What year do you think it is?”

Sonic frowns. “Shadow, why does that even matter?”

“Just answer the question, okay?”

He clicks his tongue, thinking strangely hard. “Hm, I’ve never been very good at dates. I think it’s.... 1991?”

Shadow simply stares at him. Sonic notices; he isn’t totally oblivious. He chuckled a bit, looking near bashful. “Ha. I’m wrong again, aren’t I? 

“Do you even know what a year means?” It has come to his attention that he might actually not understand it as a unit of time. Eggman said something about Sonic being a bit time blind, unaware of his surroundings.

“To be honest, no?” Sonic shrugged. “I spent most of my life in a forest. I don’t really.... I don’t really understand what it means.”

Shadow remains quiet. “A year refers to the amount of time it takes for the planet to move around the sun. You’re aware of what a day is?”

“Duh.”

“Well, there are three-hundred and ninety four days in a year.”

“Oh! That makes sense.”

“A year is a standard measurement of time. The average Mobian lives to about eighty years.”

“Okay...”

“Was 1991 the last time you checked a calendar?”

“Kind of. My friends Mighty and Ray told me it was 1991 not too long ago.”

Shadow winces. “It’s 2003.”

Sonic blinks. “What.”

“It’s 2003.”

“That’s...”

“That means it’s been twelve years. It’s been 4,728 days.”

“That’s not...”

“You were fifteen when you talked to Mighty and Ray, right?”

“Yeah, I-“

“That means you should be twenty seven now.”

Sonic remains deathly quiet. He stares into his reflection, clearly taken aback. Sonic hasn’t been lying- he’s been under the impression that he’s been fifteen this whole time.

“Sonic, how old are you really?”

“I... I don’t know?”

“On Christmas Island, do you remember a man named Karl?”

That snaps something to Sonic’s attention. “Yeah! I do! I used to live in the forest outside of this human settlement! Karl was the only person who saw me when I lived there, and I played pranks on him all the time!”

“Christmas Island sank fifteen years ago.”

“Wh-“

“Karl called GUN to report a complaint against you. That was in 1963.”

Sonic remains frozen. “1963?”

“Were you fifteen when you were pulling pranks on him?”

“Yeah, but-“

“This means you’re fifty five.” Shadow pauses. “Have you ever seen a fifty five year old person?”

“Yeah, but I can’t... I couldn’t be...”

“Sonic.” Shadow grabs his hands, and forces Sonic to look at him. “How long have you known Tails?”

“I.... I don’t know....”

“You met Tails when he was four. He’s ten now. You’ve known each other for six years. Why has he grown so much and you haven’t?”

“I...”

“Amy Rose was eight when you met. She’s fourteen now. Six years. Doesn’t she look so much different?”

“She....”

“Knuckles is eighteen. You knew him when he was twelve. Haven’t you noticed how much things have changed? Why haven’t you?”

“I.... things just change! I don’t know why they do! Just- when I lived in the forest, trees would suddenly appear when they hadn’t been there days ago, when they had been saplings! People keep changing and disappearing and I don’t-! I don’t know why?”

“Everyone and everything is growing, Sonic. But not you.”

“Shadow...”

Sonic isn’t crying. He’s never been one for tears. But he looks so close to breaking. His grip on Shadow’s hands have tightened dramatically, and he looks like he’s on the verge of collapsing.

“Sonic, this is important. What is your earliest memory?”

Sonic blinks, trying to focus his eyes. “It’s... I was on Christmas Island. I... was waking up... I’m in the middle of the forest, in a clearing... it looks like I crash-landed there or something.”

“Like you fell out of the sky?”

“Yeah, and hit the ground hard.” Sonic laughed. It sounded brittle. “Tails used to ask me all the time about my family and stuff, and I could never answer. I told him that was my earliest memory, and he said I probably had amnesia or something. Said it was probably a plane crash that caused me to hit the ground so hard.”

Shadow remains quiet. “I see.”

“Shadow, what does this.... what does this mean?”

“I don’t know.”

He just might.

-

In GUN’s headquarters, Shadow finds himself pulling up ARK files. It’s been years since he’s looked at them; he’s past his obsessive phase over his past.

But there was a project he thinks about from time to time, a project he couldn’t remember having seen. It was before his time, created a year before him, a few years before the raid that occurred in 1951, the same raid that killed Maria and forced Shadow to crash land on Earth. 

Project Terios.

Shadow scans the lines of information. Created to be able to absorb insane amounts of Chaos Energy for storage. Given the proper command, it would be able to release the energy and act as a living bomb.

Gerald scrapped the idea once he realised the storage of Chaos Energy was going to be weaponized. He had created the idea to use as a way of healing the body through Chaos Energy. After all, Chaos only heals Chaos, and if the body can absorb enough Chaos to match the amount needed to sustain the body, well, the idea of immortality might have been an attainable concept.

He didn’t think the project had even gotten past the clearance to create it, let alone have a fully functioning subject. But the criteria of the blueprints of the experiment is beginning to sound suspiciously like a certain friend of his. A natural affinity towards the manipulation of Chaos energy? Supernatural ability to absorb inhuman and immeasurable quantities of Chaos Energy? Clear de-accelerated ageing and possible immortality?

Tails believes Sonic survived a plane crash. Or did Sonic literally crash into the Earth?

And now that Shadow thinks about it, one of the escape pods had been missing ever since he could remember. It was supposed to have been replaced, but GUN was too focused on reallocating resources into Shadow to deal with the missing pod.

All reports of the project had been burned or deleted. Any evidence of its existence was wiped clean. It’s exactly GUN’s style to get rid of any proof that they had failed, and whatever happened with Project Terios had obviously been a failure.

So what happened?

Did Sonic escape? How? Did GUN try to kill him? Could he not comply with what GUN wanted- was he just as freedom loving, carefree and independent as he is now? Did Gerald send him away once he realised he was about to become a weapon? Or was he able to pull it all off on his own? Was there some kind of accident that forced them to dispel of the project? On whose term did Sonic leave- through GUN’s forceful attempt at eradication or through his own will?

What caused them to destroy every shred of evidence that Project Terios existed? Why was only one single file detailing the idea of the project allowed to survive?

Shadow has no answers.

Anyone who would know is long dead. Maria had been shot to death trying to save Shadow, Gerald had been executed by the same agency he was trying to serve, and all the scientists had mysteriously disappeared. Besides, it’s been fifty years- if anyone managed to survive the massacre, they were likely dead now. 

(And if Sonic is what Shadow thinks he is, then he’s just as in the dark as Shadow. Because just like Shadow, when Sonic fell to the Earth either in an escape pod or however he managed to leave the ARK, his memory was wiped clean.)

Shadow can’t unravel this thread any further. 

(Is Project Terios the reason Maria’s favourite colour was blue?)


End file.
